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architecture and design magazineTue, 31 Mar 2015 21:00:38 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Dyson's first humidifier uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteriahttp://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/20/dyson-humidifier-kills-bacteria-ultraviolet-light/
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/20/dyson-humidifier-kills-bacteria-ultraviolet-light/#commentsMon, 20 Oct 2014 17:42:48 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=572494Dyson has launched its first humidifier, which uses ultraviolet light to kill waterborne bacteria before the air is dispersed. The firm led by British industrial designer James Dyson says its first humidifier is more hygienic than any others on the market, killing 99.9 per cent of the bacteria in water before it enters the room. It claims […]

Dyson has launched its first humidifier, which uses ultraviolet light to kill waterborne bacteria before the air is dispersed.

The firm led by British industrial designer James Dyson says its first humidifier is more hygienic than any others on the market, killing 99.9 per cent of the bacteria in water before it enters the room. It claims to be the first humidifier to use ultraviolet light to cleanse water in this way.

"The problem with current humidifiers are that they harbour nasty bacteria which when the machine is turned on, is then blown around the room," said Dyson in a statement. "Experts say it’s actually more dangerous to breathe in this bacteria than drink it!"

The Dyson humidifier is designed to alleviate symptoms of dry skin conditions and cold viruses brought on by dry winter weather conditions. It has also been developed to preserve home decoration, preventing cracked paintwork and peeling wallpaper.

Water from the three-litre water-tank in the base of the humidifier is fed into a smaller trough where it is exposed to ultraviolet light for three minutes, killing bacteria using what Dyson calls Ultraviolet Cleanse technology.

Once treated, the device uses electricity to vibrate the purified water at ultrasonic frequency – up to 1.7 million times a second – breaking it into tiny particles. The particles are then drawn into the curved head of the humidifier and projected into the air.

The humidifier then uses Air Multiplier technology – the same type of system used in the brand's fan and heater collections – to disperse the mist evenly around a 16-square-metre area.

The loop-shaped amplifier has two outlets - one for mist at the front, and one at the rear for air - meaning the machine can also operate as a fan.

The machine can run for up to 18 hours off one tank of water, and has a built-in sleep timer which cuts the power when not in use. A quiet operating system prevents noise disturbance when used at night time.

A temperature and humidity gauge automatically adjusts the level of humidification, but it can also be manually adjusted between ten airflow settings using a magnetised remote control, which attaches to the side of the machine.

Dyson launched the humidifier in Tokyo today, ahead of the UK launch in March 2015.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/20/dyson-humidifier-kills-bacteria-ultraviolet-light/feed/3"Bio-reactive" expiry marks for food win UK James Dyson Award 2014http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/18/bump-mark-bio-reactive-expiry-label-wins-uk-james-dyson-award-2014/
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/18/bump-mark-bio-reactive-expiry-label-wins-uk-james-dyson-award-2014/#commentsThu, 18 Sep 2014 12:30:41 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=547159News: Solveiga Pakstaite, an industrial design student from Brunel University, has won the UK James Dyson award with Bump Mark – an expiry label that decays to tell you when food is no longer safe to eat (+ slideshow). Described as a "bio-reactive food label", Bump Mark is designed as a tactile labelling system that […]

News: Solveiga Pakstaite, an industrial design student from Brunel University, has won the UK James Dyson award with Bump Mark – an expiry label that decays to tell you when food is no longer safe to eat (+ slideshow).

Described as a "bio-reactive food label", Bump Mark is designed as a tactile labelling system that could help cut wastage by replacing static expiry dates with a more organic marker that tells consumers if food has gone off.

Each Bump Mark starts as a smooth label, which is made predominantly of gelatine. Over time, the gelatine begins to break down, altering the surface of the label and creating "bumps" that can be felt by a person running their fingers over the top.

"Because it is a protein, it decays at the same rate as protein-based foods like pork, milk and cheese," explained Pakstaite. "And the gelatine can be adapted to match the expiry period of the food by altering the concentration."

"So, the higher the concentration, the longer the gel will stay solid. The label simply copies what the food in the package is doing, so the expiry information is going to be far more accurate than a printed date."

Pakstaite has developed over 20 prototypes to test the concept, which Dyson said could save the average UK family more than £700 a year on wasted food.

"The UN food report estimates that 100 million tonnes of food is wasted and in the UK, residents throw away 7 million tonnes of food each year," said the James Dyson Award organisation. "This is a project which is certainly needed to try and prevent these terrifying numbers increasing."

Created by British engineer James Dyson, the award is an annual prize granted to students who are working on innovative design engineering projects.

Solveiga Pakstaite

UK winner Pakstaite will receive £2,000 to further develop her prototype, and will progress to the international stage of the award. The international winner will receive £30,000, with an additional £10,000 awarded to their university department.

Also on the shortlist was Bruise by Dan Garret, also from the RCA – an injury detection suit for disabled athletes with loss of sensation with a pressure sensitive film that changes colour on impact – and Spokefuge, a low-tech centrifuge alternative used to diagnose anaemic patients in rural developing countries, designed by Jack Trew from Birmingham City University.

Spokefuge by Jack Trew

An inflatable incubator designed to try and decrease the number of premature child deaths in refugee camps called MOM, by James Roberts from Loughbourough University is the final project on the list.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/18/bump-mark-bio-reactive-expiry-label-wins-uk-james-dyson-award-2014/feed/3Dyson launches "most powerful" vacuum cleaning robothttp://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/04/dyson-360-eye-powerful-vaccum-cleaner-robot-programme-remotely-app/
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/04/dyson-360-eye-powerful-vaccum-cleaner-robot-programme-remotely-app/#commentsThu, 04 Sep 2014 13:06:18 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=535305News: British inventor James Dyson has revealed a design for an intelligent vacuuming robot that can be programmed remotely, which has been in development for the past 16 years. The Dyson 360 Eye has built-in infrared sensors that, combined with a camera, help assist the robot in navigating a space. Related story: Dyson Hard two-in-one vacuum […]

It can see around its entire shell by using a panoramic camera, with the images interpreted by a piece of software that creates a plan of the area being cleaned. The camera processes as many as 30 frames per second and features a shutter speed that matches the device’s travel speed, helping the machine accurately interpret its surroundings and avoid any objects.

An accompanying app for iOS and Android also allows users to program and run the 360 Eye remotely.

Rotating sweepers cover all edges of the robot as it moves across a room, and a patented carbon fibre brush bar is designed to remove fine dust from hard floors, while nylon bristles clean carpets.

According to Dyson, who founded his eponymous home appliances company on the success of his first bag-less vacuum cleaner, most robotic vacuum devices to date have been limited in their understanding of their surroundings, with low suction power to preserve battery life.

To solve this problem, the 360 Eye was equipped with an energy efficient, high speed V2 Dyson digital motor, which operates at just 100 watts, a spokesperson told Dezeen.

"It's the first robot vacuum capable of high performance cleaning," said Dyson in a video. "It can see where it's been and it can see where it’s going, it has a motorised brush bar which spans the full width."

"It's the only robot with continuous tank tracks," Dyson said. "This means that it maintains speed and direction across all floor surfaces. We’re bringing together all this technology that makes an intelligent robot, that cleans your home properly."

Over £28 million has been invested in the 360 Eye, with more than 200 engineers contributing to its development over a period of 16 years. According to Dyson, the navigation system alone required a team of 31 robotic software engineers working for over 100,000 hours, taking into account algebra, probability theory, geometry and trigonometry, and a further £150 million was invested in the Dyson Digital Motor.

To ensure the 360 Eye was hardy enough to navigate difficult areas on its own, Dyson engineers tested the device against a rolling road with steps it had to climb over. In total, the suspension was tested against 224,000 bump strips over 1,000 hours and travelled 810 kilometres.

Prototypes analysed approximately 1.5 billion images during the development, and the machine’s navigation was tested with specially created radio controlled rigs to emulate encountering obstacles. "Lighting was dimmed and made brighter, all variables were accounted for," the company said.

James Dyson with the 360 Eye

The 360 Eye launches in Japan in Spring 2015, with the rest of the world to follow later in the year.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/04/dyson-360-eye-powerful-vaccum-cleaner-robot-programme-remotely-app/feed/7Strap-on robotic Titan Arm wins £30,000 Dyson awardhttp://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/08/strap-on-robotic-titan-arm-wins-30000-james-dyson-award/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/08/strap-on-robotic-titan-arm-wins-30000-james-dyson-award/#commentsFri, 08 Nov 2013 13:45:14 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=382878News: a strap-on robotic arm that allows humans to lift heavy weights has won this year's James Dyson Award for the most innovative student design product. Titan Arm, an "upper body exoskeleton" developed by students at the University of Pennsylvania, won the £30,000 prize, which is given annually to the best design or engineering project by […]

News: a strap-on robotic arm that allows humans to lift heavy weights has won this year's James Dyson Award for the most innovative student design product.

Titan Arm, an "upper body exoskeleton" developed by students at the University of Pennsylvania, won the £30,000 prize, which is given annually to the best design or engineering project by a student or recent graduate.

"Titan Arm is obviously an ingenious design, but the team’s use of modern, rapid – and relatively inexpensive – manufacturing techniques makes the project even more compelling," said James Dyson, founder of electrical appliance brand Dyson and head of the James Dyson Foundation, which organises the James Dyson Award.

The arm allows the user to lift an additional 18 kilos and is designed to reduce the incidents of back injuries caused by heavy lifting, and allow people with injuries to rebuild and retrain their muscles.

Weighing around 9kg and worn like a backpack, the arm is powered by an on-board battery and uses cables to control a robotic elbow joint.

"The suit was developed for use in occupational lifting and healthcare," the Titan Arm team explain. "Occupational lifters such as warehouse workers face increased risk of arm and back injuries because they repeatedly lift heavy items every day."

The arm cost just $2,000 to develop, compared to more than $100,000 for other commercially available arms. The low cost was achieved by using accessible technologies such as 3D printing. The team plan to make the design available as an open-source file so others can improve and learn from it.

According to the Titan Arm team, upper-body injuries cause 7,000 years of lost productivity among American workers alone, costing $50 billion in healthcare costs.

"We all know someone who has suffered a back or arm injury and worked hard to recover, or live with permanent damage," say the project team. "We are passionate about developing a tool that allows people to live normally, by both preventing injuries and lessening their effects."

Titan Arm plans to use the cash prize to investigate electromyography, which would allow sensors in the arm to record electrical activity in the user's muscles. This would allow the arm to interpret and amplify the user's intentions, effectively making it a seamless extension of their body.

"This, if incorporated into Titan Arm, could allow people with severe injuries or suffering from paralysis to be abler to command their arms utilising the electrical activities in their muscles," said the James Dyson Award. "Potentially giving them the ability to move their arms with the devices help, only using their brain."

Titan is an upper-body exoskeleton that augments human strength and provides rich data feedback for users and doctors. The suit was developed for use in occupational lifting and healthcare. Occupational lifters such as warehouse workers face increased risk of arm and back injuries because they repeatedly lift heavy items every day. To prevent this, Titan augments the user’s arm strength by 18 kg to reduce fatigue, and braces the back to prevent poor lifting posture. Healthcare applications include physical therapy and mobility assistance. Titan can be used to help stroke and injury victims rebuild muscle and relearn fine motor control. It also provides detailed quantitative feedback to doctors which can be used to motivate their patients by tracking improvement over time. Finally, Titan can help people who suffer from permanent injuries or disabilities to live fully-empowered lives. Using an exoskeleton, both patients and the elderly will be able to regain their independence.

Inspiration

We all know someone who has suffered a back or arm injury and worked hard to recover, or live with permanent damage. As a team, we are passionate about developing a tool that allows people to live normally, by both preventing injuries and lessening their effects. We became even more motivated as we met therapists and patients working through these hardships. Each story showed how demoralizing upper body injuries can be. We hope that Titan will empower people to reclaim their lives. We are determined to make the field more accessible. Current exoskeletons are prohibitively expensive at more than $100,000. Using lean principles, we created Titan for less than $2,000. Low price points will help make Titan ubiquitous, aiding many more people. We will also release a version of Titan as an open-source development platform for researchers to experiment and collaborate on. Through this, we hope to enable a new era of research, resulting in innovative devices to improve lives.

Development

As a team of four mechanical engineering students, we developed Titan over eight months. We researched available exoskeletons and past academic projects, and decided to focus on the upper body, as most exoskeletons have aided the legs. We then completed technical and market research, talked to physical therapists, and met with patients. Using this information, we designed the mechanical, electrical, and control systems for the exoskeleton. Using CAD software coupled with techniques such as 3D printing and CNC machining, we produced several physical prototypes, leading us to Titan’s ergonomic form. We sourced and soldered the electrical components, striving for computational power and efficiency. Meanwhile we developed custom software to control the suit and transmit data in real-time to therapists. We continued talking to experts so that we could remain focused on their needs and our use cases. Finally we integrated the various systems to produce a functioning, wearable prototype.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/08/strap-on-robotic-titan-arm-wins-30000-james-dyson-award/feed/1Dyson Hard two-in-one vacuum cleaner by Dysonhttp://www.dezeen.com/2013/10/31/dyson-hard-by-dyson/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/10/31/dyson-hard-by-dyson/#commentsThu, 31 Oct 2013 10:31:56 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=379440Industrial design firm Dyson has unveiled a cordless vacuum cleaner for hard floors that sucks up dirt and wipes the surface at the same time. The Dyson Hard combines a suction nozzle for dust and small particles with a wet wipe for mopping up spills, so hoovering and wiping the floor can be done in […]

Hard floor cleaning is inefficient. First you vacuum, and then you clean the floors again to remove grime. Engineered for hard floor cleaning, the Dyson Hard vacuum cleaner combines powerful suction with a wet wipe to remove dust and grime in one action. A double-edge cleaner head sucks up dirt and debris with each stroke, leaving the wipe to remove grime.

Busy lifestyles mean that people don't have time to clean floors twice. Steam cleaning has its own problems, bound to a cord, waiting for steam. All in all, time consuming and inefficient.

James Dyson: "Good technology should make everyday tasks quicker and easier. Dyson's high-speed motor technology has enabled Dyson engineers to develop a cordless machine capable of vacuuming dirt and wiping away grime simultaneously. One machine doing two jobs, in one action."

DC56's double edged cleaner head can be removed, adding a crevice and combination tool for up-top, down below, hard-to-reach and in-between spaces. Remove the wand for cleaning cars and worktops.

Dyson digital motor

Powered by the Dyson digital motor V2, which is one third of the size of conventional motors, yet spins at 104,000rpm. This power dense motor allows the Dyson Hard vacuum cleaner to be compact and light with high performance.

Root Cyclone technology

Dyson's patented Root Cyclone technology has been concentrated, spinning dust and dirt out of the air using centrifugal force.

Fade-free battery

A lithium-ion battery delivers 15 minutes of fade free performance. For stubborn dirt, there is a boost setting for 6 minutes of high intensity cleaning.

Materials

Dyson engineers used materials that would stand up to tough abuse in real home environments. The machine's body is made from ABS Polycarbonate – the same material found in riot shields. Dyson engineers designed a reinforced wand, made from aluminium, to allow for extra push force in picking up grime.

Wipes

Dyson engineers worked with scientists to develop wipes for the machine. Two different wipes are available with DC56 – Hard floor and Wood nourishing. Each wipe is designed for different hard floor surfaces, and different tasks. The machine is also compatible with industry standard sized wipes found in most stores.